Post navigation

FITintheCITY Investigates

I was training a client a few Saturday mornings ago while she was in the midst of baking her daughter some incredible smelling scones. She and her husband have been avoiding gluten, so she was making Almond Flour scones. She noted they were high in protein and low in sugar. Being allergic to nuts myself, I can’t comment on the taste, but she swore they were delicious and you wouldn’t miss the flour. I figured this would be a great recipe to share on the blog, but in my research to share a recipe with you, I found an article on the empowered sustenance website entitled 5 reasons to avoid almond flour.

This got me thinking about all of the healthy alternatives we think we are making that might actually be worse for us than the item we are trying to avoid.

In an effort to keep my FITfriends informed, I have done a little research for you to ensure that you are an informed consumer when it comes to your diet.

SOY: I am sure you have heard a mixed bag of messages about soy so it is hard to know the truth. If you want to read a comprehensive breakdown of the pro’s and con’s of soy, Authority Nutrition does a pretty good job. Dr. Oz also has several videos on the subject. But, to put it simply: processed soy = bad (soy milk, soy-meats, basically anything with soy protein). Whole soybeans = fine (miso, edamame, etc., but the research isn’t great. There is evidence of lower cholesterol and whole soy contains protein and fiber). In conclusion, most soy products are not good for you. So all of your friends who swapped dairy for soy a few years back? They are better off with organic, grass-fed dairy than processed soy milk.

QUINOA: The good: Quinoa is high in protein, has riboflavin (which helps reduce the frequency attacks in migraine sufferers by improving the energy metabolism within the brain and muscle cells), it is gluten-free, and is a complex carbohydrate with low glycemic index. The bad: most people’s portion of quinoa is way too high. 1/4 cup dry quinoa has 172 calories. Most people easily consume twice, if not three times that amount. Honestly, that is about it in terms of your health. To put it simply: Eat quinoa, just not too much.

YOGURT: Not all yogurt is created equal. Minyanville has a great article explaining the difference (and mentions other not so healthy “health” foods). Leave it Dr. Oz to explore the subject as well. To put it simply: Look for PLAIN yogurt with less than 4% sugar. Also, make sure there are NO fake sugars in the yogurt.